A £100 MILLION green ferry deal has been hit by further delays, sparking fears of fresh disruption for Scotland’s island communities. Two new taxpayer-funded vessels are being built at Ferguson Marine Engineering’s shipyard in Port Glasgow on the Clyde.

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“This is another entry in a catalogue of failures on Scotland’s ferry networks, once again letting island communities down and impacting tourism, businesses and connectivity.”

Scottish Labour’s Colin Smyth said: “It really is time that Scottish Government got a grip before they do anymore damage to Scotland’s island communities.

“Demand for these services is rising and the Scottish Government are letting down our island communities once again by failing to deliver the ferries needed to meet that demand.”

Lib Dem MSP Mike Rumbles added: “Passengers on the west coast will have a sinking feeling once again when they find out these ferries are delayed.”

Billionaire Mr McColl, who sits on the First Minister’s council of economic advisers, rescued Ferguson's from closure four years ago through his Clyde Blowers Capital investment vehicle.

The dual-fuel vessels were originally supposed to be with state-owned operator CalMac (Image: GETTY)

Each of the £48.5 million ferries will be 330ft long, with space for 127 cars or 16 HGVs and up to 1,000 passengers.

They will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and diesel in a move which Ms Sturgeon boasted would help achieve “Scotland’s world-leading climate change goals”.

Mr Matheson said: “Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd has advised us that the first vessel, the MV Glen Sannox, will now be delivered during summer 2019, and the second vessel in spring 2020.

“While this further delay is disappointing, it is important to focus on the fact that we will have two new ships joining the fleet serving the Clyde and Hebrides network that have been built in Scotland, providing vital support to our ship building industry.”